Feminist history as national history: Writing the political history of women∗

∗ My thanks to Judith Smart and Katie Holmes for their helpful comments on the first draft.

Abstract

Writing feminist history as national history requires that we analyse women's political relationship to the nation state and their condition as citizens. Arguing that postsuffrage feminists sought to participate in political life as maternal citizens, I suggest further that we need a new history of Australian women's political thought, one that takes women's ideas about the vote and their changing conception of political power seriously.

Notes

∗ My thanks to Judith Smart and Katie Holmes for their helpful comments on the first draft.